A Simple Strategy For Finding Great People

Ever wonder how some leaders attract the most dedicated, loyal and hardworking team members? What are they doing… differently? You wonder, as you watch talented people vie for a position under their leadership.

While there are many great answers to this question, one stands out—they see beyond self-limiting beliefs and harness greatness.

Walking on the beach in Rehoboth, DE, in pitch black, I noticed a man walking on the water’s edge with a metal detector. I couldn’t help but stop and ask him about the treasures he’s found.

“Diamond rings,” he said, with a seriously child-like excitement that I couldn’t ignore.

“What? Diamond rings? Really?”

I was fascinated, and even more curious to know the details of his findings.

“Expensive rings?” I asked.

“I have one that’s worth $6K. I haven’t sold that one yet.”

I was in awe.

“What else… What else have you found? And how long have you been doing this?” I asked, as the child inside me exploded with intrigue.

“Twenty years,” he said, “I have about ten pounds of gold, and that doesn’t include the diamonds or the batch of gold I sold twelve years ago. You should get one of these metal detectors. They’re only about three-hundred bucks.”

He went on to tell me the best place to buy one, and exactly what features are the most critical.

Improving your ability to see and provoke greatness works in much the same way, just take it from Andrew Carnegie.

When asked how he got so many millionaires to work for him, Carnegie said, “They were not millionaires when they first got here. They became millionaires as a result of their time here.”

The reporter followed up with, “How is it that you develop people such that they’re worth millions of dollars?”

“You develop people much the same as you mine for gold. You don’t go in looking for the dirt. You go in looking for the gold.”

Gold—greatness.

Dirt—self-limiting beliefs that stop us.

We all have self-limiting beliefs, and we need others to help us see and cultivate our talents. When you invest your time and energy into nurturing talents (rather than demanding progress), you will provoke greatness.

People want to live into their potential, and the most empowering people are the ones who help you see yourself clearly.

Invest, invest, invest in the best greatness detector and you’ll wind up with a treasure trove of relationships built on progress.